Update: Fire destroys 135-year-old home in Oswego Town

Update:
Town of Oswego, NY – An early-morning fire destroyed the family homestead of a 90-year-old town of Oswego man, officials said.

A passerby called Oswego County 911 at 12:12 a.m. to report a fire at 338 county Route 20, a 911 dispatcher said.

Firefighters arriving soon after found flames coming out of the windows and homeowner Jack Scozzari emerging through the front door, said Chief Dan Shaver of the Oswego Town Volunteer Fire Department.

Scozzari was taken by Oswego City fire department ambulance to Oswego Hospital where he was treated for minor injuries and released, Shaver said.

It took about a half-hour to get the fire under control, Shaver said. The attic of the two-story wood-frame home was heavily involved in flame and firefighters had to chop through the lath-and-plaster ceiling from the second floor to get to it, he said.

“It was a nightmare to get through,” he said.

The structure of the home is stable, “but it’s going to be pretty much a total loss,” Shaver said.

Scozzari told officials the home was where his family grew up, Shaver said. The building was erected in 1875, according to county tax records.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation, Shaver said.

Oswego town, Granby and Minetto firefighters and Oswego city fire department ambulance responded to the scene and the Hannibal Fire Department served standby duty, Shaver said.

Earlier:
Town of Oswego, NY – Firefighters from six departments battled a house fire earlier this morning at 338 county Route 20.

A passerby called at 12:12 a.m. to report a fire at Routes 20 and 7, an Oswego County 911 dispatcher said. The two-story home was fully involved in flame when firefighters arrived, but all occupants were reported out of the residence and accounted for, the dispatcher said.

The dispatcher did not know who owned the house or the extent of damage. No one was hurt, he said.

Fire companies from the town of Oswego, the city of Oswego, Granby Center, Minetto, Hannibal and Cody responded.